tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post7193382422394187768..comments2014-10-07T01:31:46.583+03:00Comments on Parsha'l Thoughts: We Have Met the Enemy, And He Is Us! - Four Sons Walked Into Paradise part 9Shelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511343642691365840noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-38291379826957007502014-10-07T01:31:46.583+03:002014-10-07T01:31:46.583+03:00Sorry, Shel, for not jumping right in with a respo...Sorry, Shel, for not jumping right in with a response to this post like I did with the previous ones. There are really five types of son. The fifth type is the athletic son. A parent who has an athletic son has to chase him around the country to see his games. I have an athletic son and we’ve been traveling to colleges in the Midwest Conference to see him. The last two were in Lake Forest, IL (a close one) and Waukesha, WI (two hours). The next one will be in Beloit, WI (two and a half).<br /><br />My other son is a student at Beloit. So I will be torn, as we are torn between the Wise and the Wicked son.<br /><br />I like your suggestion that the Wise son and the Wicked son are traits that coexist within ourselves. My wife and I discuss this when one of us puts a label on another person. We all share a spectrum of psychological traits—some more and some less—and this gives us the ability to have empathy. We can understand the other because we share the same urges, to one degree or another.<br /><br />I’m looking forward to see what you have to say about the yeter tov and the yetzer ra. You are much more learned than I in the relevant texts. I’ve written a bit about them in my blog, but with only limited understanding (it’s a blog, after all).<br /><br />The first post on the subject had to do with a couple books I read a couple years ago on self-control. One of the books was by Dan Ariely, who I mentioned to you before (http://eightoh9.com/2012/11/18/prefrontal-cortex/).<br /><br />The second post on the subject had to do with a quickly assembled theory of evil, which says that the character of evil depends on the consequences and is not inherent in the action itself (http://eightoh9.com/2013/05/25/evil-inclination-yetzer-ha-ra/) <br /><br />I am looking forward to learning what the Rambam had to say on the subject and on the Aristotelian view. My initial reaction to saying that evil is only the absence of good is that it doesn’t get you very far. It’s pretty much the equivalent of saying that good is only the absence of evil. What does that mean? It seems circular and doesn’t address the real problem of evil, which is to minimize it.<br /><br />Looking forward to the next post.<br />eightoh9.comhttp://eightoh9.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-22091563975962215492014-10-06T22:12:09.738+03:002014-10-06T22:12:09.738+03:00Thanks! I agree, the topic of evil would probably ...Thanks! I agree, the topic of evil would probably take you further afield than what is warranted here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-31699313095012033962014-10-05T20:50:14.616+03:002014-10-05T20:50:14.616+03:00Thanks for your clarification. I will touch on som...Thanks for your clarification. I will touch on some of this later-- specifically about the Rambam&#39;s view of evil along with some other commentaries and Jewish philosophers. I will be limiting the discussion to what I see as relevant to this particular discussion about the Evil Son, though, as the larger question of the nature of Evil is pretty huge.Shelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02511343642691365840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-26932059329976594302014-10-04T20:34:22.913+03:002014-10-04T20:34:22.913+03:00You&#39;re touching on the basic question of what ...You&#39;re touching on the basic question of what is meant by the word &#39;evil.&#39; I will discuss that further in future posts. Shelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02511343642691365840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-77426184029793314812014-10-04T19:36:53.057+03:002014-10-04T19:36:53.057+03:00My apologies. I didn&#39;t word my previous commen...My apologies. I didn&#39;t word my previous comment very well. What I am trying to determine is how the Rambam, through his interpretation of Aristotle, might have influenced Jewish thought on the topic of evil. Did he follow Aristotle&#39;s view that evil is nothing more than a deprivation (and therefore does not exist in itself) of some good? And if so, how does this impact what is stated in the Talmud vis a vis an evil inclination? Aristotle believed that all human beings seek the good in everything that they do; that is, they never intend to do evil.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-28785651986442218822014-10-04T18:52:09.252+03:002014-10-04T18:52:09.252+03:00Did the Rambam not follow Aristotle in regarding e...Did the Rambam not follow Aristotle in regarding evil as a deprivation rather than an &quot;entity&quot;? That evil &quot;exists&quot; only in someone or something as a deprivation or lack of a particular good?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-90601506252942739072014-10-03T17:47:49.415+03:002014-10-03T17:47:49.415+03:00Thanks for your comment. It&#39;s nearly YK here. ...Thanks for your comment. It&#39;s nearly YK here. If you can, send me your citation from the rebbe. I will be discussing the place of the Evil Son in several more posts and would appreciate the input. G&#39;mar tovShelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02511343642691365840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2624420178579748556.post-45143929904271797652014-10-03T17:00:49.137+03:002014-10-03T17:00:49.137+03:00But it is not loving the evil. It is because he is...But it is not loving the evil. It is because he is a son, not because he is evil, that he is at the seder table. And as the Rebbe pointed out, the exclusion the haggada talks about is in the past -- it is only from the past redemption that he would have been excluded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com